Gearless torque lock awning window



Sept. 4, 1956 N. c. WALBERG ETAL ,761,

GEARLESS TORQUE LOCK AWNING WINDOW Filed March 7, 1 955 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. J7 M01600 .6 WO/Qglg 0/70 j? y lQ/DIW/(FC/O p 1956 N. c. WALBERG ETAL v GEARLESS TORQUE LOCK AWNING WINDOW 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 Filed March 7, 1955 x Z T06 m .w Vmm m w 0 0% m a m w/ my a am MW .III In!) 'Illil .vrlallfllllliiillllll illllivlltilnlllllllllilllliIII! 1 1 ll'lll l 1 United States Patent GEARLESS TORQUE LOCK AWNING WINDOW Nathan C. Walberg, Coral Gables, and William A. Di Miscio, Miami, Fla.

Application March 7, 1955, Serial No. 492,531

3 Claims. (Cl. 268-104) The present invention relates to an awning window in which a plurality of horizontally disposed window sections or vents are supported one above the other in a vertical plane. For swinging movement about a horizontal axis each seciton has hinge connection adjacent its upper corners with a pair of parallel bars guided for reciprocal vertical movement in the frame jambs. These bars, through suitable linkage actuated by the oscillation of a cross shaft in the window sill, will raise and lower the hinged sections to engage or disengage each other as the window is being closed or opened, respectively, and simultaneously with such movement the sections will swing to closed position or to any desired angular opening.

An object of the invention is the provision of a new, improved and simplified window operator, this being accomplished by the elimination of gears and a hand crank, usually employed for turning the cross shaft, and the substitution of a lever hooked into the shaft and extending through the sill.

Another object of the invention is to so relatively form the operating lever and the escutcheon plate for the lever opening in the sill that the lever, throughout its arcial throw, will move through a snug circular hole in the plate.

The linkage includes a pair of rocker arms fixed to the cross shaft and having their outer ends pivotally connected to a pair of links which at their upper ends are pivoted to the lower ends of the vent supporting slide bars, another object of the invention being, through the torque exerted by a downward throw of the operating lever, to swing the rocker arms and links to which they are connected to such a relative angular position as the window closes that the window will be locked against any force applied from the outside to open it, this being accomplished without the addition of springs, locks, latches, pins, keepers or like devices.

Another object of the invention is to yieldingly hold the vents at any desired angular opening by the simple means of providing one or more friction pads on the slide bars.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an operator for the window which transmits the operating force from a lever through the cross shaft to the operating hardware instead of operating the window by means of pushing the lower vent and thereby transmitting the action to the other vents thru the hardware.

And, a still further object of the invention is to so construct the window as to use a full insert type screen as distinguished from the hinged and sliding types.

The accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, show a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that they are for the purpose of illustration only and that such changes may be made as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following more detailed description and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, as viewed from the outside, of an awning window for which the invention is particularly adapted, the structural details of such a window not perice taining to this invention being more fully disclosed in our copending application filed April 21, 1954, Serial No. 424,626.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 22, Figure 1, of the sill and lower window section, the latter being partly opened.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail on line 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation of the top portion of the frame and parts operating therein.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5, Figure 4, but showing a greater length of the jamb and the sliding bar than seen in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an operational view, as will be described, which because of its length is in two parts Viz: A and B with the upper portion of part A and the lower portion of part B being sections taken on line 6--6, Figure 1, while the remaining portions of parts A and B are vertical central sections through the jamb seen at the left in Figure l, certain parts of the operating mechanism being removed in order that the locking means may be more clearly illustrated.

Figure 7 is a cross section on line 77, Figure l, but drawn to full size.

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the sill on line 88, Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a top edge view of the escutcheon plate through which the operating lever engages, a fragmentary portion of the sill to which the plate is attached being shown in section.

Figure 10 is a sectional detail on the line 1010, Figure 9.

In the drawings similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The window frame, made preferably of light weight metal, usually aluminum, is of hollow construction rectangular in cross section and comprises the usual head piece 1 provided with a drip cap 2, parallel jambs 3, 3 and a sill 4. The bottom wall of the head 1, the inner side walls of the jambs 3, 3 and top wall of the sill 4 extend from the rear to substantially half the depth of the frame and along their free edges are formed with flanges which together provide a continuous flange 5 defining the window openings, this flange 5 preferably being weather-stripped as indicated at 6. The frame also has an outwardly turned front flange 7 to provide a facing surrounding the wall opening in which the window is placed.

As shown in Figure 7, it will be noticed that the jambs 3, 3 which are similar but of opposite hand, have no front wall or inner side wall forward of flange 5. Also there is no bottom wall on the head 1 nor top wall on the sill 4 forward of flange 5, see Figs. 2 and 6, and the opening in the sill extends part way down the front by reason of the front wall 8 being of less height than the rear wall 9. This open construction of the frame parts permits assembly therein of the operating mechanism.

The window shown in the drawings has three similar movable sections or vents 10, 11 and 12 which when closed are supported one above the other in a vertical plane and in abutment With the flange 5. Each section has a window pane 13 set in a rectangular sash 14, the particular construction of which, although not pertinent to this invention, is such that when the window is closed they will cover the open portions hereinabove referred to in the frame parts 1, 3, 3 and 4 in a manner to exclude the entrance of dirt and other destructive foreign matter. The joints between adjacent sections will also be sealed by the sash.

Operating mechanism Mounted to rotate in end bearings 15, 15 in the sill 4 is a cross shaft 16 to which are splined the inner ends of a pair of rocker arms 17, 17. The outer end of each arm 17 has pivotal connection at 18 with the lower end of a link 19 the upper end of which by means of a shouldered stud 20 is pivoted to the lower end of a vertically extending slide bar 21 which also carries a like shouldered stud 22 at its upper end. Loosely mounted on the studs 20 and 22 are rollers 23 and 24, respectively, which guide the bar 21 in a trackway 25 formed by the rear wall 26 of the corresponding jamb 3 and a rib 27 parallel therewith and extending inwardly from the outer side wall 28.

Secured by screws 29 to the side pieces 30 of each sash 14 adjacent its upper corners are plates 31 which at one end terminate in upwardly and rearwardly extending arms 32, and at the other end in angular arms 33 extending downwardly and forwardly through slot openings in flanges 34 turned laterally from the side pieces 30. These plates 31 are the means through which the window sections are hingedly supported by the slide bars 21 the arms 32 of the plates on the sash of 12 having pivotal connection with the roller carrying studs 22, the arms 32 of the plates 31 on section 11 being likewise connected to opposite intermediate studs 35 on the bars 21 While to the studs 20 are pivoted the arms 32 of the plates 31 on section 10.

As means for causing the window sections to swing in and out on their hinge connections simultaneously with the up and down movements of the bars 21, the arms 33 of each section have pivotal connection at 36 with the angularly turned upper ends 37 of a pair of links 38 which at their lower ends are pivoted at 39 to a pair of short arms 40 angularly adjustable about fixed points 41 oppositely positioned on the inner side walls 42 of the jambs 3, 3. Housings 43 on the sash 14, provide covering for the parts pivoted at 36 and the slot openings through which such connected part are extended.

The operator for rotating the shaft 16 in one direction to open the window and in the other direction to close it is, in this instance, a lever 44- formed adjacent its inner end with an arcial portion 45 concentric with the shaft 16 and which by a short bend terminates in a straight portion 46 lying in the plane of but at an angle to the handle portion. This portion 46 of the lever extends through a diametrical bore 47 located at any desired point in the shaft and is secured in proper position of adjustment by a set screw 48. An escutcheon plate 49 through which the lever extends covers a slot opening 50 provided for the lever in the rear wall 9 of the sill 4.

By reference to Figure 6 it will be observed that for any angular position of the lever 44, within the limits of its throw, the portion thereof extending through the escutcheon plate opening, indicated at 51, lies within the arcial portion 45 of the lever. Consequently this opening 51 may be a true circle which provides a sliding but otherwise snug fit around the lever. The plate 49 is preferably slightly concave-convex and on its inner face is formed with parallel vertical ribs 52 having lateral projections 53 which with the wall of the plate provide slots 54. By flexing the ribs 52 to permit their insertion through the sill opening 50 they will snap into locking engagement with the side edges of the opening 50, no screws or other fastening means being required to hold the plate in place and against removal.

Intermediate the ribs 52 the plate 49 opens into a short upwardly and outwardly extending tubular projection 55 the outer end face 56 of which lies in a plane coincident with a projected radius of the shaft 16 and at approximately 45 to the shaft, the bore in the projection 55 at its outer end being the true circle surrounding the lever part 45. By making the escutcheon plate 49 of vinyl plastic, or its equivalent, it will have sufiicient flexibility to permit automatic vertical adjustment due to the parallel slides, when operation of the lever 44 moves Without binding, should the arcial portion 45 be somewhat off center due to slight variations in setting the lever 44.

When the window is closed the lever 44 is in the down position as shown in full lines, Figure 6, and when fully opened the lever occupies the position indicated in dotted lines at 44 Likewise each rocker arm 17 and link 19 connecting it with its corresponding slide bar 21 assume the full line positions in which they are seen in Figure 6 when the window is closed and the dotted line positions for these parts at 17 and 19 respectively, when the window is fully open.

It will also be observed by further reference to Figure 6 that in the full line position of the arm 17 and link 19 the pivotal connection or knee 18 of the toggle formed by the two members 17 and 19 has passed to a point slightly beyond dead center or, in other words, to the right of a median line 57 passing through the axial center of pivotal connection 20 and the axis of shaft 16. Thus the toggle, if subjected to any downward force, tends to buckle toward the wall 26 but is prevented from doing so by a stop lug 58 on the arm 17 engaging such wall. Consequently the window is locked against any force to open it except by an upward throw of the lever 44.

Although rollers 23 and 24 bearing against the side walls of the trackway 25 hold the slide bars 21 against bending and permit an easy and smooth up and down movement, there will be a slight flexing of the bars 21 due to the rearward thrust exerted by weight of the window sections when open, and this force is taken advantage of to yieldingly hold such sections open at any desired angle by providing each bar with one or more pads 59 which frictionally engage the jamb wall 26. These pads 59 are preferably made of a suitable plastic and each is held in place by being formed with a tongue 60 fitted to a slot in the bar to which it is attached.

The window frame and the operating lever 44 permit use of a standard full insert type screen which fits into the frame and bears against the rear face of the inner flange 5, top and bottom portions of such a screen being shown at 56 in vertical section 61 in Figure 6.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the invention provides an awning window with an operator of few parts, inexpensive to manufacture and install and positive in operation; that the torque applied by a throw of the operator lever causes the linkage of itself to lock the Window without the addition of separate locking devices; that the use of friction pads on the slide bars supporting the window sections hinged thereto will yieldingly hold the sections at any desired angular opening; and, that the operator and frame construction permits the use of a full insert type screen, without the need of openings in the screen for operators or locking devices.

What we claim is:

1. In an awning window, a hollow sill including a wall having an opening, a horizontal shaft in said sill and having a diametrical opening, bearings for said shaft, a lever extending laterally from said shaft through said wall Opening and movable through a prescribed arc in a vertical plane to rotate the shaft in either direction, said lever including a handle portion, a return bend adjacent one end terminating in a straight portion engaging through the said opening in the shaft, and an arcial portion concentric with the shaft; an escutcheon plate on said sill over the said wall opening and having a true circular opening through which said arcial portion of the lever moves during throw of the lever from one extreme position to the other.

2. In an awning window, a construction according to claim 1 but characterized by said escutcheon plate including an upwardly and outwardy extending tubular portion with the opening at the outer end of such tubular portion being the true circle fitting the said arcial portion of said lever and lying in a plane coincident with a projected radius of said shaft.

3. In an awning window, a construction according to claim 1 but characterized by said escutcheon plate including projections on its inner face having interlocking engagement with opposite side edges of the said wall opening.

Reference! Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,478,044 Gargiulo Aug. 2, 1949 6 Widen June 3, 1952 Somerstein June 23, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 20, 1946 

